There are a lot of steps and requirements to become a police officer in California that you’ll need to know about.
Police Departments I am familiar with include San Jose Police Department, San Francisco Police and Sheriff Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Recently I responded to a person asking what it takes to become a police officer and how much they make. Here was my response to him:
As far as I know, police officers in San Jose and the rest of the Bay Area make probably the most in starting salary than just about any where else in the country. Starting pay range for a starting or lowest status San Jose Police Officer in my area is $72,000 a year. And if you stay at that rank, you can eventually make up to $107,000 a year. In a neighboring city, Santa Clara, they start at $82,000 and go up to $124,000. The great thing about being a police officer in San Jose is that you retired with a yearly retirement income of 90% of your salary when you leave the department.
Note: Keep in mind if you go up in rank (sergeant) you make more. Starting level sergeant in San Jose is roughly $120,000.
Also note that the cost of living here is high as well.
How to become a police officer and what are the requirements?
It is good you are asking this question now as opposed to later. Here are my tips on things to think about when deciding to become an officer (see the actual process at the bottom):
1. Make sure to pay ALL your bills on time and make sure your credit is good. Also that your debt to income ratio is appropriate. Meaning make sure your monthly debt/bills is at the MOST, 75% of your income. Departments are weary about those that are spending too close to how much they make unless there is a valid reason (i.e. lost job, times have changed, etc.). So stay smart with money.
2. Stay clean with the law. It will be near impossible to get hired in any department if you have a felony on your record, which includes stealing something worth over $500 in most states.
3. If you have Facebook or Myspace accounts, make sure they are respectable. They WILL investigate almost everything about you and if your profile info appears to not fit the principles and demeanor of a police officer, they will most likely be weary about your maturity. In other words, don’t write like an illiterate kid and don’t place offensive language or views about various things.
4. Stay fit. Most department agility testing is pretty basic but if you’re just plain out of shape or fat, you probably aren’t ready for the academy training and they’ll decline your application until you’re more fit.
5. Assess your own maturity and ability to speak with others. Honestly look at yourself objectively as others may see you and evaluate how you react in stressful situations. I’m not referring to when your mom is mad that you got a bad grade or something like that. Think about how you react when someone says offensive things to you or verbally attacks you. Do you get angry and respond? Do you walk away? Do you think about why this person is angry at you and think of a way you can actually resolve the issue? The more appropriate response for a good police officer is to stay neutral and react to aggression in an appropriate manner. For more info on this topic, check out the de-escalation of Force principles. Here is a great article on the topic: http://www.myselfdefenseresource.com/police-military-a-law-enforcement/107-de-escalation-of-force-and-the-difference-between-resistance-and-attack.html
6. Finally, my suggestion to become a police officer is to spend time with officers. There are a lot of programs where you can do ride-a-longs with an officer to get an idea of what they do. In many departments there are programs where you can be a “junior officer” where you get to either learn under the direction of your department or once your older even serve as a community officer where you basically are able to sign on for community/crowd control (most likely without a weapon and no arrest powers). Just start talking to your local police department and get into programs that show you are serious about starting a career down that path. Maybe you can even start working jobs in security when you turn 18 to get experience in some enforcement of the laws.
While to many, working as a “mall cop” is pretty lame. But in all honesty, it is incredible experience training. Most mall security departments utilize the 10-codes (how police communicate calls over their radio including ‘all clear’, ‘attempting to arrest’, ‘I need back up and how urgent’, etc.). You’ll also learn how to deal with some CRAZY people in effective ways. Check out YouTube for ‘Security Guard’ to see many ways on how NOT to act as a guard.
Here is the hiring process for becoming a police officer:
- 1. Apply (this is probably the BIGGEST application you’ll ever have to write/fill out)
2. Get a response as a potential hire
3. They will schedule for testing on reading/writing and your past history
4. You go for physical testing
5. You have to pass an initial panel interview of upstanding members of the community and current police department officers or employees. They usually just ask you questions about your experiences and how they relate to the job of an officer (i.e. times you’ve dealt with highly angry/aggravated individuals and how you handled it or resolved the issue).
6. Meet with a background investigator to answer certain questions (usually recorded and includes a drug test where normally they not only check your urine but also your body hair for any traces of any illegal substances. Urine test can typically happen at any point of the hiring process.)
7. Begin the background investigation. This includes the police asking about you at all of your past jobs/employers for usually 7 years. You will also sign a document stating they can ask anything and your employer has to answer everything (unlike the limitations put on what a new employer can ask a past employer, which is not much). Typically they are asking about your attendance and demeanor on the job. They will also call and talk to your friends and family to see how they perceive you. You will have to write out all of your past ex girlfriends/wives and significant relationships so try not to do anything in very bad character like cheat, steal, abuse, and what not. Key thing here is that you DO NOT exclude any employers or significant relationships. They WILL find out every paid job you’ve had that was reported to the government and through talking with your family and friends, they’ll find out about girlfriends you may have left out and question you about them and why you withheld that info.
8. You’ll be given a psychological test. This often if not always includes some form of a polygraph test.
9. You’ll have to pass a medical exam. This is typically beyond your typical exam you have to take before you go play sports in school.
10. At some point you will usually have a sit down interview with your background investigator and most if not all of your immediate family to talk about the job and allow the investigator to get a feel for your family background and life.
11. If all goes well you finally get to interview with the Chief of Police. If he/she likes you, YOU’RE IN!
12. You ship off to the academy for what can be 4-6 months. This training is paid for by the department and you usually get about 75% of your starting salary as pay while you’re in the Academy. If you’re sent to the academy for the CHP you will be living on the academy property with limited availability to phones and you are typically only allowed to leave the academy for a brief time on Wednesday nights and the option to go home (if you want) on the weekends so long as you pass your tests for that week.
13. After you pass the academy, you’ll typically go through the FTO program. This is where you ride around with an officer and go through the process as he/she shows you the ropes. (FTO= Field Training Officer). In this process the FTO evaluates your ability to handle the various duties of the job including a set list of things you have to do from traffic stops, DUI tests, and so on. Eventually he/she will have you drive the car and act as the primary police officer while he/she wears civilian clothes. This is done because when dealing with people (say when dealing with a domestic disturbance call), the parties you’re dealing with will usually get a feel for who is the more seasoned officer and only talk to them while you observe. Having an officer in plain clothes puts YOU as the in charge officer and allows you to actually get your hands dirty dealing with people. Your FTO is always armed and has their badge with them in case they need to show it to you. Otherwise, they just look like someone that is on a ride a long.
If you pass all that, you are set for a long and prosperous career.
NOTE: Steps 3-11 will often be separate days. I’ve heard the whole process before going to the academy can take as little as 1 month all the way up to 6 months. It really just depends on the hiring process of each department. Around here it takes typically 4-6 months.
Long story short… Be serious and take action. Asking us is on Yahoo! Answers is a great start but the real people you should ask is the police department near you. I hope this answer helps you in the right direction. Keep in mind that some states vary on requirements and the hiring process but usually it isn’t much different from what I stated above. Good luck and be safe out there.
Title: San Jose Bike Party
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